On 8 March each year, International Women’s Day is observed around the globe. This is to highlight the achievements of women, as well as the progress that’s been made (and what still needs to be done) to reach true equality.
The beauty industry has a lot of women leaders, as well as plenty of female-founded brands. Here are eight to add to your collection.
1. Bobbi Brown
With a long and illustrious career as a make-up artist in the USA, Bobbi Brown launched her own cosmetics line in 1991. She claims this was because she was tired of red lipstick and wanted more options for natural beauty looks. Her brand is still a best-seller today, with some of the most popular products being the Shimmer Brick Highlighter, the Vitamin Enriched Face Base and the Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks.
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2. ELEMIS
Over 30 years ago, entrepreneur and investor Linda Steiner and co-founder Noella Gabriel wanted to create a line of beauty and skincare products that was as close to nature as possible. This led to the founding of this luxury brand. They take a holistic approach, combining nature, science and innovative technology to create products that are not only effective, but a treat for the senses, too, because they know that beauty starts from within.
3. Estée Lauder
What started out as just four creams, ended up becoming one of the world’s biggest beauty empires. This brand was founded by its namesake in 1946 with a focus on skincare, eventually branching out to demo her new cosmetics to women at hair salons across America. Over the decades, it has vastly expanded to produce everything from make-up to haircare to fragrances and has many award-winning products and formulas under its belt.
4. Benefit Cosmetics
It was in the disco era of the 1970s that Benefit hit the shelves. This cheerful brand – which is popular as much for its innovative products as it is for its iconic fun and quirky branding – was founded by twin sisters, Jean and Jane Ford, in the vibey city of San Francisco. They have created many make-up buys with cult followings, such as the Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain and their extensive highlighter collection.
5. Fenty Beauty
In 2017, beauty and music fans alike lost their minds when Rihanna launched her own make-up line. Since then, she has expanded to include skincare and a fragrance. Fenty Beauty was the first brand to offer a whopping 40 shades of foundation, spearheading the way for more inclusivity in the cosmetics space. Unlike other gimmicky celeb beauty products, Rihanna’s are known, loved and trusted by make-up artists for their quality and on-trend colour selections.
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6. Jo Malone London
A brand that showcases the best of Britain, the first Jo Malone London store was opened in 1990 by its perfumer namesake, debuting a range of interesting scents showing off homegrown notes. It is also responsible for bringing cologne back in style (but also produces more concentrated perfumes, body-care and home scents). Known for its simple compositions and unique note pairings, some of its best sellers include the Mimosa & Cardamom and the Woodsage & Sea Salt Colognes.
7. Elizabeth Arden
This heritage brand and global empire, with a history dating back over 100 years, was established in 1910 by Elizabeth N. Graham, a Canadian-born American businesswoman. Originally, she had a line of salons and spas, followed by the launch of a face cream and cleanser in 1914. This conglomerate, which boasts many award-winning products, including the Eight Hour Cream range and the Ceramide Capsule collection, now produces skincare, make-up and fragrances.
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8. Essence Cosmetics
After noticing a gap in the market for accessible and budget-friendly fashion cosmetics that adhere closely to trends, Essence was established by Christina Oster-Daum in Germany in 2001. With products that are of great quality but still affordable, they are best known for their cute and colourful make-up buys – complete with rotating seasonal ranges. One of their best-selling products is the Gel Nail Colour, which comes in a host of bright and neutral shades.
